Thompson, CT (December 5, 2016) – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park today announced dates for the 2017 racing schedule, celebrating its 77th season on the high banked oval. The 2017 seven event NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) schedule is highlighted by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the return of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.“This year’s schedule balances our commitment to tradition and innovation,” states Josh Vanada, General Manager of TSMP. “The 2017 schedule preserves fan favorites while introducing unique and creative events and promotions.”The speedway will continue to showcase Sunoco Modifieds, which will compete in eight points-counting races supported by the Late Models, Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks, who will all have seven points-counting races. The Lite Modified Division will race in five of the seven events, but will not race under the NWAAS sanction.Several touring series will be making appearances at TSMP in 2017. At the top of the list will be the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visiting the track four times followed by NEMA Lite making three stops. NEMA, the North East Street Stock Tour and Mr. Rooter ProTruck Series will all be appearing twice. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, American-Canadian Tour, Pro All Stars Series, International Super Modified Association, Valenti Modified Racing Series, Granite State Pro Stock Series, North East Mini Stock Tour, New England Pro 4 Modifieds, Vintage Outlaws, and Senior Tour Auto Racers will make single stops at the track throughout the season.The 2017 season of racing kicks off Friday, March 31st with the 43rd Annual Icebreaker. Eleven divisions will be featured in TSMP’s season opener, headlined by Thompson’s 135th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. The Race of Champions has been added to this year’s event, featuring our four NWAAS champions. They will face off in equally prepared cars from The Racing School. Bragging rights are on the line to determine who the champion of the champions will be. The highly-anticipated Fan Appreciation Party and Champion’s Banner Raising will be held on the last day of the event.Sunday, May 21: 2nd Annual Limited Sportsman Long Distance & Military NightWednesday, June 14: 3rd Annual NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 125Friday, July 7-8: Inaugural NASCAR Busch North ThrowbackWednesday, August 9: 28th Annual Bud ‘King of Beers’ 150 Sunday, September 10: 2nd Annual For the Fans Event; 4th Annual Sunoco Modified 20/20 SprintFriday, October 13 – Sunday, October 15: 55th Annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway RacingAbout Thompson Speedway Motorsports ParkThompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP), “Indianapolis of the East”, the famed 5/8 mile, high banked, oval and motorsports facility is tucked away in the beautiful countryside of Thompson, CT. Our 2017 Schedule includes seven exciting events: March 31-April 2 (Icebreaker), May 21 (Limited Sportsman Long Distance & Military Night), June 14 (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 125), July 7-8 (NASCAR Busch North Throwback 100), August 9 (Bud ‘King of Beers’ 150), September 10 (For the Fans Event; Sunoco Modified 20/20 Sprint), October 13-15 (Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing). To purchase tickets or a season pass, call 860.923.2280 or visit www.thompsonspeedway.com. Follow TSMP on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube for the latest news and events.

Preparations for 2017 NASCAR Season at Thompson Well Underway

Registration Opens, Technical Inspectors & Rules Announced

Planning is well underway for the 2017 season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP). Officials from the historic ⅝-mile oval announced that they are receiving car number registrations for their 77th season. Renewals for drivers in the Sunoco Modified, Late Model, Limited Sportsman, Mini Stock, and Lite Modified drivers will continue until January 15. After that date, numbers will be issued on a first come-first served basis. As an incentive, anyone registering their car number from now through January 1, will receive discounted rate of $25. After January 1, the rate will increase to $35. Drivers can visit the competitor info tab under NASCAR Racing on www.thompsonspeedway.com to download the registration form. Instructions for return are also on the form.Officials also announced some personnel changes within the technical inspection team. Veteran inspector, Todd Stiles, has been promoted to Technical Director, effective immediately. All Divisional Inspectors will report directly to Stiles. John Kelly, a well-respected INEX Legend inspector, and current TSMP Official has been promoted to Late Model Divisional Inspector. Kelly will join Mark St. Hilaire (Sunoco & Lite Modified Divisions), Joe Delorimiere (Limited Sportsman), and Chris Austill (Mini Stock), who all will be returning to inspect their respective divisions.“We’re pleased to elevate Todd to the Technical Director position,” TSMP General Manager, Josh Vanada, stated. He went on to explain, “Todd has proven himself as a detail-driven individual, who places a premium on the integrity of the rulebook. He also balances this with understanding the challenges of crew chiefing a car. He’s built a good team around him, which now includes John Kelly. I see lots of overlap in the way the ACT and INEX rulebooks are written and enforced. John works very well within that framework, and has always been well-like in a position that usually does not receive much fan fare.” This team of inspectors has been hard at work, and is pleased to release the 2017 rules packages for the Sunoco Modified, Limited Sportsman, Mini Stock, and Lite Modified Divisions. The Late Model rules will be released in conjunction with the 2017 American-Canadian Tour rules package.The 2017 schedule will be released Monday, December 5, at 7:00pm on the Victory Lane Radio (www.victorylaneradio.com). For more information on 2017 registration, rules and contact information for our technical inspectors, please visit our website at thompsonspeedway.com.Seekonk Speedway set to welcome the new Modified Touring Seriesto the schedule in 2017.Seekonk Speedway and The Modified Touring Series are proud to announce that a date has been schedule for the new Open Wheel touring series based out of New Hampshire. The Modified Touring Series will be joining the storied history of the Venditti family owned Seekonk Speedway for the 2017 season on June 10th.“We are excited to be joining the Venditti family in their 70+ year family tradition of racing at Seekonk Speedway on June 10 of 2017. Seekonk Speedway has a standard of excellence in New England for short track racing that we, at the Modified Touring Series, are honored to be a part of in 2017 and hopefully many years to come.”- Gary Knight (MTS)The Modified Touring Series “MTS” is committed to bringing a program to race tracks in the North East that is entertaining for the fans as well as having a program that is not only enjoyable but beneficial to the teams that support MTS.Seekonk becomes the fourth date released in a proposed 12 race inaugural schedule. The Modified Touring Series season kicks off at Monadnock Speedway on April 29th.“We are hoping to see some great modified racing from the new tour. We are excited as a track to help promote a new series and continue to be a part of the growth of short track racing in New England.” states Ed St Germain, Director of Business Development at Seekonk. “ This will be our first open wheel show of the season followed by Open Wheel Wednesday on June 28th and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour later in the season.”“The Modified Touring Series has some innovative new ideas that we look forward to being a part of for years to come “ says David Alburn, Competition Director at Seekonk Speedway “ the Speedway looks forward to being there at the start of something that has the potential to be great”.Seekonk Speedway is a 1/3 mile paved oval NASCAR sanctioned track featuring weekly racing on Friday & Saturday nights featuring Pro Stocks, ACT Late Models, Street Stocks, Sport Trucks, INEX Legends, Sport Fours, Pure Stocks & INEX Bandoleros.The Seekonk Speedway races from the first Sunday in May till Columbus Day weekend every year.D. Anthony Venditti, “The Godfather of New England Auto Racing,” began construction of Seekonk Speedway in 1945. On May 30, 1946, the gates were opened for the first time. D. Anthony owned, operated, and promoted the Speedway until his death in 1991. Anthony received the promoter of the year award in 1978. His wife Irene continued till her passing in 2014, her son Francis, and grandson David continue the tradition of operating the speedway. Know as the “Action track of the East” Seekonk Speedway has been family owned, operated, and promoted for over 70 consecutive years.

DOUG COBY BANKS $10,000 AT SEEKONK OPEN WHEEL WEDNESDAY

Doug Coby now has three $10,000 checks signed by Action Track of the East in his career.Coming into Wednesday June 29, Coby had scored the victory at the annual Open Wheel Wednesday modified event in 2011 and 2013.Coby grabbed his third trophy from Seekonk Speedway by winning round one of 2016 for the NorthEast Race Cars and Parts Tri Track Open Modified Series Wednesday evening, behind the wheel of his No. 2 Dunleavy Truck and Trailer Repair, LFR Chassis mount.“I wasn’t even planning on getting out front, I was going to just ride fifth for a lot of the race then those guys gave me the room,” Coby said following his victory.“Whether I’m going to win or not in the end, I wanted to be in the lead and be in control, I’ve always said that about these open shows. It’s easy for guys to roll up to your bumper here at Seekonk but when they go to pass you they just slide the rear end.”Coby was slated to go off seventh based on where he finished in his qualifying heat race, but during the redraw on the track prior to the green, he drew a fourth behind the wheel of his No. 2.He worked inside the top-five for much of the early portion of the race, riding fifth while drivers in front of him tangled for the lead. He started making his move on lap 30 when he slid by Jon McKennedy to fourth. Then, Coby made a move to the bottom, three-wide and quickly jumped to second.He wheeled his No. 2 to the advantage over the rest of the field on a lap 40 restart and never looked back for the remaining of the event. He held off challenges from McKennedy, Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk in the final stages and captured his first career win on the Tri Track Open Modified Series.“This is huge LFR Chassis and all of my team,” Coby said. “It was up in the air what car I was going to come with. This is a great series, Dick Williams, James Schaefer and these guys put a lot of time and money into these shows.”Silk, who started outside the top-10 behind the wheel of his No. 50, quickly worked this way through the field and was inside the top-five by the time the field hit the halfway point. He was all over the back bumper of Coby in the final laps, but couldn’t find the way around to the big payday.“Doug did a good job of protecting the bottom like you have to do to win the race,” Silk said. “I could roll the top and get to his right rear, but I was just that much tight that I couldn’t hold him down and get by. It was good hard racing in the front all night and really clean.”Rowan Pennink drove the Gary Casella owned No. 25 to a third place run and he was followed across the line by Les Hinckley, who piloted a Wayne Darling No. 52. Rounding out the top-five was Matt “Money” Hirschman.The NorthEast Race Cars and Parts Tri Track Open Modified Series gets back on track at Star Speedway for the SBM coming up on July 30.

MATT HIRSCHMAN CASHES IN ON TRI-TRACK SBM 125 GOLD at STAR SPEEDWAY

EPPING, NH- Matt Hirschman took a liking to NH's Star Speedway the first time he raced there, and on Saturday night he won his third major event SBM 125 Modified Open in five races, this time worth $10,400 plus contingencies as the Northeast Race Cars & Parts Tri-Track Open Modified Series visited the quarter-mile oval in southern New Hampshire.Hirschman, who hauled in from Northampton, PA., to race, pitted on lap 54 for a new right rear tire and worked his way to the front of the 27-car field, passing Jon McKennedy (Chelmsford, MA.) on lap 100 for the lead. He then held off a late charge from Les Hinckley (Windson Locks, CT.), including a restart with two laps remaining to claim the top prize in front of an enthusiastic and near capacity crowd."This was an example of what kind of show that the Modifieds can put on when you have drivers that race that way and show each other respect," Hirschman stated. "It comes at a time where I really needed a win. A BIG win."I hated that this race didn't happen last year. I'm glad that it's back and with a great crowd tonight, and another solid car count I would think we will be back again."McKennedy led the first 100 laps after drawing the pole in a top ten redraw, collecting a significant portion of the bonus money paid out in the process. But he elected to not pit for a tire, and in the end it cost him. Les Hinckley passed McKennedy on lap 115 for second place, earning the Woody's Auto Hard Charger Award" and his third consecutive second place finish in the SBM.Richard Savary, while attempting to pass McKennedy for a podium third place finish on lap 124, made contact and McKennedy spun, with Savary being sent to the rear. This opened the door for Maine driver Josh Cantara to take third from Ron Silk on the ensuing restart, where Hirschman outraced Hinckley to the line for the big win.Silk and Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top five finishers of a race run off in rapid fashion, with no major incidents and few caution periods. The next Northeast Race Cars & Parts Tri-Track Open Modified Series event takes place at Ct's New London-Waterford Speedbowl on Thursday, August 25 for another event paying the winner $10,000 as part of a purse again expected to exceed $60,000.Official Tri-Track SBM 125 V Finish: (Final payoff totals including bonuses TBA) 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN, 2. Les Hinckley, 3. Josh Cantara, 4. Ron Silk, 5. Justin Bonsignore, 6. Andy Jankowiak, 7. Rowan Pennink, 8. Max Zachem, 9. Tommy Barrett, 10. Jon Kievman, 11. Kirk Alexander, 12. Chris Pasteryak, 13. Anthony Nocella, 14. Rob Richardi Jr., 15. Jon McKennedy, 16. Mike Holdridge, 17. Russ Hersey, 18. Troy Talman, 19. Richard Savary, 20. Joe Doucette, 21. Andy Seuss, 22. Eric Berndt, 23. Carl Medieros Jr., 24. Jeff Gallup, 25. Mike Douglas Jr., 26. Dwight Jarvis, 27. Kurt Vigeant.

Coby makes history, wraps up third consecutive Whelen Modified title in Thompson

(THOMPSON, CT) - Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park saved the best for last in 2016, crowning several champions on the final day of the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing, presented by Xtra Mart including a champion in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.Defending series champion Doug Coby looked to earn his third consecutive title and fourth in the last five seasons after extending his points lead on Justin Bonsignore and Timmy Solomito with a victory at Stafford Motor Speedway on October 9th. Coby came into the race with a 20-point advantage over Bonsignore and a 48-point lead over Solomito and only needed to finish 16th or better to lock up the championship.Coby started off the race on the right foot, qualifying for the outside pole next to Solomito who led the first portion of the event with Coby hot on his trail. Things changed around lap-73 however when a caution brought the cars to pit road where Justin Bonsignore made up ground and Coby lost ground setting up a battle between Solomito and Bonsignore for the second half of the event. While Coby kept his eye on the prize for a title, his closest rivals for the championship battled it out for one last win of the season. Bonsignore finally took the lead with twenty laps remaining and would hold on to win his fourth race of 2016 while Coby worked his way to a sixth place finish and a third consecutive title, a series record in the modern era which dates back to 1985.“Every (championship) is different and every one is special for a different reason. There’s many ways to win them and many ways to lose them. We just found a lot of ways to win them. It goes back to preparation and having a car that’s just good everywhere we go. We obviously had a little better than a sixth place car today but I had to play it cool and just keep my eye out for who was around me and what the situation was if the caution came out,” Coby told reporters after securing the title. “I didn’t even want to be sixth. I would have rather been on the bottom if a restart had come later so I was trying to get fifth, but I was playing it cool.”When asked how it feels to be considered among the greatest in his sport and the only driver to ever win three consecutive titles since 1985, Coby said he takes none of his titles for granted and knows how hard it is to win one title, let alone three.“It’s neat, but it doesn’t matter what era you’re in. It’s difficult to win a championship and it’s still seventeen races and a war you have to win. We won a lot of the battles. Tonight Justin Bonsignore won the battle and did what they had to do,” Coby said. “We just put ourselves in the position all year with a really clean season. I don’t think there’s any question that during the season we just chipped away every week and got our wins.As for Bonsignore, he called his race victory bittersweet, enjoying the moment of capping off his season with a strong win but lamenting on his failed attempt to dethrone the champion in the closing months of the 2016 campaign.“It’s probably the worst win we’ve ever had at Thompson under the circumstances, but there’s a lot worse things I could be doing with my life and I get to race cars with a bunch of guys I call my friends,” Bonsignore said during his visit to victory lane. “We kept them honest for sure this year, but it is a little depressing I’m not going to lie.”Starting off the day’s racing action was the Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman series, which featured the tightest points race of the weekend as far as track championships where concerned at Thompson. Ryan Waterman entered the final event of the season with a slim 10-point lead over Scott Sundeen. The two drivers have been at the top of the class all year with Waterman recovering from a slow start in the Icebreaker to notch four second-place finishes and seven top-five finishes prior to the season finale, using pure consistency to maintain his points lead on Sundeen who also had seven top-five finishes including four third-place finishes and a single win in the August feature.The race started with near catastrophe for both championship contenders as Corey Fanning spun in traffic, nearly collecting Waterman and causing damage to Sundeen’s car forcing Sundeen to make repairs under caution. Sundeen was able to continue, but from the back of the field while Waterman was able to maintain a position in the top ten for much of the 20-lap event. While it was not the strong showing fans have become accustomed to by Waterman, the young driver managed a sixth-place finish, one spot better than Sundeen, to score his first Thompson track championship and he did it without winning a single race in the Limited Sportsman series.“It feels like it’s not happening,” Waterman said in victory lane. “I would have never guessed I would be able to do this. I knew (Sundeen) was in trouble, but I was also in trouble because in the same wreck Scott Sundeen was in I bent something on the front end and the car was really slow.”While Waterman celebrated a championship, another driver celebrated success in the Limited Sportsman season finale as Phil Jacques came home with the race win after a hard fought battle with Brent Gleason in the closing laps. An emotional Jacques was brought to tears in victory lane as he celebrated with his family by his side.“I don’t even know what to say. Today is twenty years to the day from the first time I ever set foot here (at Thompson),” Jacques said. “We’ve lost a lot of good friends this year and it’s been a little rough. I couldn’t do it without all these guys who helped me. We struggled. We were quick in practice on Friday and yesterday the car was just junk. If you had asked me yesterday if I thought I’d be here today I would have told you ‘not a chance’.”The Sunoco Modifieds also crowned a Thompson champion, but for many there was never a question who would hoist the trophy at the end of the day. Keith Rocco has enjoyed a historic season, dominating the series with no finish worse than 4th coming into the final event, four wins and a 23-point advantage over NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Ryan Preece. A finish of tenth or better would guarantee Rocco a title, but it would not come easy.Despite starting in the back after skipping practice and qualifying days to run the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Kansas, Ryan Preece made quick work of the field and cracked the top five in the opening laps of the 30-lap feature. Preece worked his way to second place in the first half of the event, engaging in an intense battle with Rowan Pennink while Rocco worked his way into a top five position as well. Preece made one final effort at relinquishing the lead in the closing laps, finally making the pass on Pennink on the final lap after seemingly running Pennink into the top groove to secure a win. However it was not enough to best Keith Rocco who took the title in the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson with yet another top-five finish, ironically his worst finish of the 2016 campaign.“We definitely hit something in August with the car. Even today we weren’t at our best, but we were good enough,” Ryan Preece said after the victory. “I was just kind of riding there behind Rowan (Pennink) between laps ten and twenty watching his car, seeing when it was going to start freeing up. Right when it did I think I beat on it a little too early and I freed myself up. I knew I wasn’t going to get him on the outside so I started working the bottom - I’m sure Rowan has (ran me up the track) before. Racing is racing if you look at it like that.”The champion, Keith Rocco, reflected on an impressive 2016 Sunoco Modified campaign where only himself and Preece reached victory lane noting that he took a conservative approach in the final race of season to try and capture yet another Thompson track title.“It was tough. There’s time when you’ve really got to think about the big picture. The way the racing has been up here it’s been getting pretty rough for the leader so we didn’t really want to put ourselves in a predicament,” Rocco said. “You race all year for that one trophy. You race every night for a trophy, but it’s pretty special to get this one because it’s not just one night. It’s a whole season.”The International SuperModified Association also crowned a champion at Thompson at the Sunoco World Series. Providing some of the fastest racing of the weekend, the ISMA series drivers took to the track for a 50-lap feature where Mike Lichty hoped to put the finishing touches on a championship run. Looking to chase down the title himself, defending champion Dave Shullick, Jr. put on an impressive performance, staring from the front and doing everything he could to wrestle the points lead away from Lichty.Shullick had a little help after Lichty experienced mechanical issues in the middle of the race, forcing him to retire and surrender the title to Shullick who not only repeated as series champion, but as winner of the Sunoco World Series ISMA race at Thompson Speedway with a dominant flag-to-flag run. “This car has been amazing all weekend,” Shullick said after his win. “We just tried to be calm with it and not make a mistake. We figured it would be good at the end and it was – Hats off to Mike (Lichty) and the tough battle they gave us all year.”Finally in the NEMA Lites, PJ Stergios came home with a victory in that series’ penultimate race of the season. Stergios, who grew up racing quarter midgets at Thompson’s Little-T, outraced his points rival Jim Chambers to the line. Chambers edged closer to a championship with a runner-up finish while Stergios put some distance between himself and Danny Cugini, who was unable to start the event due to engine issues, for the second spot in the standings with one more race on the schedule.NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED SERIES SUNOCO WORLD SERIES 150 FINISH TOP-10: 1. Justin Bonsignore (Holtsville, NY); 2. Ryan Preece (Berlin, CT); 3. Jimmy Blewett (Howell, NJ); 4. Donny Lia (Jericho, NY); 5. Timmy Solomito (Islip, NY); 6. Doug Coby (Milford, CT); 7. Woody Pitkat (Stafford, CT); 8. Eric Goodale (Riverhead, NY); 9. Matt Swanson (Acton, MA); 10. Dave Sapienza (Riverhead, NY)XTRAMART LIMITED SPORTSMAN SERIES FINISH TOP-10: 1. Phil Jacques (Dudley, MA); 2. Brent Gleason (Griswold, CT); 3. Corey Hutchins (Salem, CT); 4. Chris Meyer (Norwich, CT); 5. Dwayne Dorr (Ledyard, CT) ; 6. Ryan Waterman (Daneislon, CT); 7. Scott Sundeen (Sutton, MA); 8. Jack Aquilina (Oakdale, CT); 9. Rob Janovic, Jr. (Waterford, CT); 10. Al Stone (Durham, CT)SUNOCO MODIFIED SERIES FINISH TOP-10: 1. Ryan Preece (Berlin, CT); 2. Rowan Pennink (New Egypt, NJ); 3. Ronnie Williams (Tolland, CT); 4. Woody Pitkat (Stafford, CT); 5. Keith Rocco (Berlin, CT); 6. Matt Gallo (Berlin, CT); 7. John Studley (Framingham, MA); 8. Danny Cates (Chaplin, CT) ; 9. Nick Salva (Prospect, CT) ; 10. Mike Benevides (Westerly, RI)NEMA LITES FINISH TOP-10: 1. PJ Sturgios (Newmarket, NH); 2. Jim Chambers (Atkinson, NH); 3. Joey Sipriano (Waterbury, CT); 4 Todd Bertrand (Danielson, CT); 5. Anthony Payne (Fair Lawn, NJ); 6. Ben Mikitarian (Northborough. MA); 7. Chad Labastie (Uxbridge, MA); 8. Meg Cugini (Marshfield, MA); 9. Nikki Carol (Andover, NJ); 10. Kevin Iannarrelli (Shirley, MA)ISMA FINISH TOP-10: 1. Dave Shullick, Jr. (North Ridgeville, OH); 2. Mike Ordway, Jr. (Windham, ME); 3. Mark Sammut (London, ON); 4. Ben Sietz (Bourne, MA); 5. Mike McVetta (Wellington, OH); 6. Timmy Jedrejzek (Independence, OH); 7. Chris Perley (Rowley, MA); 8. Mike Netishen (Auburn, NH); 9. Allison Cumens (Glenmoore, PA); 10. Joey Payne (Madera, CA)

Rowan Pennink, Tom Fearn, Tony Membrino, Jr., Duane Provost, Johnny Walker, And Noah Korner Honored As 2016 Stafford Motor Speedway Track Champions(Stafford Springs, CT)---Stafford Motor Speedway welcomed a guest list of nearly 500 people consisting of teams, drivers, sponsors, and employees this past Friday night, November 18 at Maneely’s in South Windsor to officially honor Rowan Pennink, Tom Fearn, Tony Membrino, Jr., Duane Provost, Johnny Walker, and Noah Korner as the 2016 Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champions.With Stafford Motor Speedway broadcasters Matt Buckler and John Gates serving as the Masters of Ceremony, the 47th annual Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Champions Awards Ceremony not only honored the six track champions, they also recognized the top-15 points finishers from the SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, Limited Late Model, DARE Stock, and U.S. Legend Cars divisions. Special awards that were presented during the evening’s festivities were Most Popular Driver Awards, NAPA Auto Parts Parts Rookie of the Year, R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year, and the UNOH Youth Achievement Award.Rowan Pennink and the #99 Independent Wheel team entered the 2016 season as the defending SK Modified® champions and the question looming over them was could they repeat with Kevin Crowley taking over as the crew chief from Jimmy Fuller? The #99 team put to doubt any questions about their prowess with wins in 3 of the first 4 SK Modified® events of the season and they exhibited a high level of consistency with top-10 runs in all but one of the first 16 races of the season. They wrapped up the championship with one race to go and next season will see them attempt to become the first team to win 3 consecutive SK Modified® championships at Stafford. Pennink is the fifth driver, joining Jerry Pearl ’84-’85, Mike Christopher ’89-’90, Bob Potter ’91-’92 and ’94-95, and Ted Christopher ’00-’01 to have won back to back championships but a three-peat has yet to be accomplished. For the season, the #99 team posted a division leading 6 wins, 11 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes for an average finish of 4.9.After winning 10 races last season and coming up short of the championship, Tom Fearn and the #92 SAFCO Foam team entered the 2016 season as favorites to be among the championship contenders and they lived up to that pre-season billing with a performance that was a combination of dominance and consistency. Fearn won 7 times and had 16 top-6 finishes in 17 starts this season but Michael Wray and the #42 DMW Graphics team took the championship fight with Fearn all the way to the season ending NAPA Fall Final. A second place finish for Fearn wrapped up his fourth career Stafford track championship and his first since winning the 1998 ProStock championship. Among Fearn’s 7 wins, 16 top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes this season were 13 podium finishes that helped lower his season average finish to 2.8.The race for the SK Light championship was a seesaw affair between Tony Membrino, Jr. and Joey Ferrigno for much of the year. Membrino and the #44 Additive Manufacturing of New England team had a blazing hot start to the year with 4 wins in the first 5 races. But as dominant as Membrino was, Ferrigno was right on Membrino’s heels and they would swap the point lead several times during the summer. Membrino took control of the points race at the very end of the season as Ferrigno ran in to a string of bad finishes and he collected his second career SK Light championship at Stafford to go along with his DARE Stock championship. Membrino posted 7 wins, 11 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes this season for an average finish of 5.3.The race for the 2016 Limited Late Model championship saw long shot Duane Provost cash in to take home his very first career championship. The driver of the #88 Facchini Law Firm Chevrolet was in the championship mix for much of the season along with Paul Arute and Al Saunders. All three drivers had a share of the point lead at some point during the 2016 season. Provost entered the NAPA Fall Final 12 points behind Saunders and a third place finish, combined with a 10th place finish for Saunders, was enough to make Provost the champion by a scant 2 point margin. For the season, Provost posted 1 win, 12 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes for an average finish of 4.6.Johnny Walker entered the 2016 season having taken a year off from racing after back to back 2nd place finishes in the DARE Stock division. Having nearly won the championship twice already, Walker knew what it was going to take to win the championship from the very first race and he was a model of consistency during the 2016 season, driving to 13 podium finishes in 17 starts this season with a final tally of 2 wins, 16 top-5 and 16 top-10 finishes for an average finish of 3.2. As dominant as Walker was finishing in the top-3 almost every week, Brandon Michael was keeping pace with him for much of the year and took the title fight down to the last race but Walker wasn’t to be denied as he collected his first career championship.In the U.S. Legend Cars division, it was a year of domination for Noah Korner and the #31 Midstate Site Development team. In the 11 race Legend Cars schedule, Korner won 7 times, finished second three times, and finished third once. Such a level of dominance was too much for Teddy Hodgdon to overcome as Korner locked down the track championship in a season that also saw him win the National Championship in the Semi-Pro division of the U.S. Legend Cars.The NAPA Auto Parts Rookie of the Year awards were presented to Stephen Kopcik from the SK Modified® division and Joel Monahan from the Late Model division. Taking home R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year honors were Joe Graf, Jr. in the SK Light division, Frank L’Etoile, Jr. in the Limited Late Model division, and Michael Hopkins in the DARE Stock division. The NAPA Auto Parts rookie awards will be worth a $1,000.00 gift card redeemable at participating NAPA Stores to Kopcik and Monahan, with Graf, L’Etoile, and Hopkins each winning a $500 bonus from R.A.D. Automachine that will be paid out in $100.00 weekly increments to each driver as they attend events during the 2017 season.The winners of the Most Popular Driver Awards were Woody Pitkat in the SK Modified® division, Tom Fearn in the Late Model division, Daniel Wesson from the SK Light division, Bryan Narducci from the Limited Late Model division, Alexandra Fearn in the DARE Stock division, and Teddy Hodgdon in the U.S. Legend Cars division. The Most Popular Driver Awards are voted on by the fans who attend Stafford Motor Speedway race events and fill out the ballots found in the track’s weekly PitStopper Magazine.The UNOH Youth Achievement award was won by SK Light Modified driver Daniel Wesson. The UNOH Youth Achievement Award is a program that is open to all drivers at Stafford between the ages of 14-17. The eligible driver who scored the most track points from their best 14 finishes this season won a $500 cash award from UNOH as well as a $500 scholarship award from UNOH.For more information about the 2016 Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway’s track office at (860) 684-2783 or visit us on the web at

Stafford Speedway Releases 2017 Event Schedule

(Stafford Springs, CT)---With just over 5 months until the 2017 season kicks off at the 46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler, Stafford Speedway is proud to announce the 22 event 2017 schedule. “We are excited about the 2017 season, we have our marquee events and have added 4 new shows to the schedule,” explained Stafford COO/GM Mark Arute. “Stafford’s key focus remains to have a strong weekly program for the fans and race teams, we believe that is the backbone of short track racing.” The 2017 race season will begin at the 46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler Weekend, April 29th & 30th. Doug Coby, the 2016 Whelen Modified Tour Champion, will look to defend his crown in the Whelen Modified Tour NAPA Spring Sizzler 200. The two-day event is highlighted by the NAPA Auto Parts Pit Party where fans have the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers prior to racing on Sunday.Following the NAPA Spring Sizzler, Stafford racing gets back to its weekly regiment beginning with the return of BFF night on May 5th and the Late Model 50 on May 12th. The Valenti Modified Racing Series hits the half-mile May 19th for their annual early season Connecticut stop and the series will make one additional Stafford stop on September 1st for another 80 lap feature.Doug Dunleavy and Dunleavy’s Truck and Trailer Repair has joined the schedule with a new Memorial Day Weekend event. Dunleavy’s Truck and Trailer Repair Modified Big Money Event plus Military Appreciation Night is scheduled for May 26th. Both the SK Modified® and SK Light Modifieds will have special events with details to be announced within the coming weeks. The night will be capped off with a fireworks display to honor all those who have served our country. “No one has ever paid an SK Light purse this big. Doug’s excited, we’re excited, that night is going to be fun,” explained Arute. The month of June will play host to two new events at Stafford. June 2nd will be the first of two Stafford stops for the exciting new Modified Touring Series with the second MTS event being held Friday July 21st.“Our team has been working with Gary Knight of the Modified Touring Series for a few months now and we really like the series he is pulling together,” said Arute. “We were impressed by his execution of the Winchester 200 last year at Monadnock and are looking forward to the Modified Touring Series Stafford debut on Friday June 2nd.”June will also play host to the ISMA Supermodified’s return to the half-mile. The fastest short track cars in the country will go 60 laps and be accompanied by Stafford’s five weekly divisions.Friday, July 7th will see the biggest SK Modified® event in the country, the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K, take place. Since the inaugural event in 2014 the NAPA SK 5K has seen 3 different winners and has paid over $120k in purse money. 2017 will be no exception, this is the event all SK Modified® drivers want to win.“The NAPA SK 5K is a fan favorite and one of my favorite events,” continued Arute. “We thank NAPA for their support of this event as it has become a highlight of our schedule for the last few years.”The Whelen Modified Tour makes its second of three stops at Stafford on Friday August 4th for the 27th Annual Stafford 150. The final NWMT stop comes with NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend on Sept. 30th-Oct. 1st where all 5 of Stafford’s 2017 track champions will be crowned.Stay tuned to StaffordSpeedway.com and social media in the coming weeks for more information on the 2017 schedule. 2017 Season Ticket Packages are now available and on sale now through www.staffordspeedway.com. Visit the site and click on the BUY TICKETS link to purchase your 2017 season ticket today.2017 Schedule Highlights· 3 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Events (4/30, 8/4, 10/1)· 2 Valenti Modified Racing Series Events (5/19, 9/1)· 2 Modified Touring Series Events (6/2, 7/21)· 1 ISMA Super Modified Event (6/23)· NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K (7/7)· Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Modified Night (5/26)· Late Model 50 (5/12)· Mr. Rooter Truck Series (4/29, 9/30)For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.###